


Changes

by Dahlia_Rose_83



Series: friendship [4]
Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M, Graduation, M/M, Season 4 AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-06
Updated: 2017-01-06
Packaged: 2018-09-15 06:48:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9223724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dahlia_Rose_83/pseuds/Dahlia_Rose_83
Summary: It’s graduation time in Mystic Falls and decisions are made.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This turned out longer than I expected. If you read the previous parts of this series (you should, in order to understand everything) you know that I changed quite a lot and mixed up seasons 3, 4 and 5.  
> Well technically we’re at the end of season 4 now, but without all that Silas drama/dropped veil/cure stuff. Since Ric’s evil alter ego never existed, Bill Forbes is still alive. And Carol Lockwood is also still alive, because the originals left Mystic Falls a bit earlier. And because I kinda liked her.

Damon walked past a few old ladies, crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked around the football-field with a scowl. A stage had been set up in the middle of the field, with seats right in front of it. There were parents, grandparents and other relatives of this year’s graduates mingling around everywhere, talking happily and taking pictures. Most of them were dressed up like they were going to a party at the white house and not the annual graduation at Mystic Falls high school. The whole thing was completely ridiculous.  
   
And even more ridiculous was the fact that Stefan had joined in the hysteria and insisted that his big brother had to be there as well. “Who knows if I’ll ever graduate again? Come on, Damon. It means a lot to me.“ he had whined and given the older one puppy dog eyes. And Damon was so glad that his baby brother had finally gotten over the latest ripper-episode and all that crap Klaus and the other originals had put them through, that he just hadn’t been able to say no. Even if it was completely stupid for a 165-year old to make such a fuss about graduating high school.  
   
Of course he hadn’t agreed right away, but waited for Stefan (and Elena, who just had to stick her nose into everything) to beg a little. He had to keep up appearances after all and Stefan really didn’t need to know that his brother was secretly very proud of him. Stefan hadn’t given up, despite everything Klaus and the other Mikkaelsons had done. He’d taken back his life and gotten his human high school experience .  
   
The dark-haired vampire was pulled from his thoughts when Alaric appeared next to him. “I’m so glad I managed to escape supervising duty today. This is all a lot funnier when you can just watch.” he commented. “Hmm, me too. At least I don’t have to sit through all the boring speeches alone.” Damon replied, earning himself a few nasty looks from people nearby. Alaric snorted and looked around like he was trying to find someone. The vampire watched him, but Ric behaved like always. He didn’t appear overly nervous or excited.  
   
Damon on the other hand was nervous, but only partly because of today’s graduation. Because aside from Stefan, Elena and the rest of their year, Jeremy would also get his graduation certificate today. Little Gilbert had actually managed to graduate one year earlier and would start attending a nearby art school in fall. He was most likely still wondering why Damon had so readily helped him with the early graduation. Why the vampire hadn’t hesitated to compel director Weber and half the teachers, without asking for anything in return. When he’d finally worked up the nerve to ask Damon for help, he had probably been expecting the vampire to laugh in his face or make fun of him instead.  
   
The boy couldn’t know about the conversation Damon hadn’t been able to get out of his head for about a year now. The conversation where Alaric had agreed to become a vampire, but only after Jeremy had graduated high school. Damon had been longing for this day to come ever since, so of course he had jumped at the chance to speed things up a bit.  
   
But he and Ric hadn’t talked about it since. The teacher hadn’t even cornered him after Damon had compelled half the school. Elena might be naïve enough to believe her brother had managed on his own, but Ric would know the truth. He just had to know that Damon had something to do with it. The vampire hadn’t even really bothered hiding it. Even Liz had asked him about it (and hadn’t believed him when he claimed not to know what she was talking about).  
   
Ric on the other hand hadn’t said a word and that was making him nervous. What if the teacher had changed his mind? What if he didn’t want to turn anymore? Or what if he had completely forgotten their conversation last year? What was Damon supposed to do then? Especially now, when things were so good between them.  
   
These thoughts and fears kept haunting him, no matter how hard he tried to push them to the back of his mind. A few days ago Stefan had asked if something was wrong, because Damon was acting strangely. Had commented that his behavior was even more erratic than usual. And when even Stefan noticed that something was up, Alaric had to know as well. But he hadn’t said anything about that either. Not even when Stefan had cornered him about Damon’s strange behavior. Ric had shrugged it off and claimed with a grin that it was probably just Damon’s time of the month.  
   
The vampire tried to shake those thoughts and concentrated on his boyfriend again. Alaric had obviously just spied whoever he’d been looking for and was waving the person over. That person turned out to be Sean, who joined them with a grateful smile. “I’m so glad to see you, guys. I feel totally out of place here.” he greeted them. “Why? Your girlfriend’s daughter is graduating today. It’s only natural that you’re here.“ Alaric argued. Sean and Liz had been dating for about a year now and everyone knew about them. And Sean got along really good with Caroline. She adored him.  
   
“Tell Caroline’s dad. The guy kept staring at me like he wanted to rip my head off when I hugged Caroline earlier.” the fireman told them. “Today is about Caroline, not about him. And she wants you here. Just ignore him.” Alaric advised. “I’d say vampire Barbie wants you here more than she wants him. You never tortured her.” Damon added helpfully. Sean nodded, looking grim. “Liz told me about that. Truth be told, I’d like to rip off his head as well. How can anyone do that to his own child?”  
   
“My dad could probably tell you a lot about that. He shot Stefan and me in the back. Literally.” the vampire muttered. Again Sean only nodded. Alaric had told him about that. “Maybe it’s for the best if I just stay away from the idiot. Hopefully he’s going to leave again soon.” he mused. The last thing he wanted was to start a fight with his girlfriend’s ex in public. Especially today, when the kids should be all that mattered. Even if he felt that Bill Forbes deserved a beating for hurting sweet Caroline. Ric agreed and both men started talking about other things, but Sean noted that Damon was uncharacteristically silent. “Hey, you okay?” he asked after a while. The vampire looked at him in surprise. “Yeah, fine. I’ll go and see what my baby brother is up to.“ he replied absently, strolling away.  
   
Sean watched him thoughtfully. “Is he really okay? I’m not used to him being this quiet.“ he said, turning to the teacher. “He’s fine, don’t worry. There are changes that even vampires feel more acutely.” Alaric explained with a shrug. “You mean he’s acting strange because of Stefan’s graduation? Liz is totally beside herself as well, because Caroline is going to leave for college soon. I told her that Whitmore is close by and that she’ll be visiting often enough, but it didn’t do much to comfort her.” the fireman told his friend, before asking if Stefan wanted to go to college as well. “No idea. As far as I know he hasn’t decided yet. But Elena and Caroline want him to go to Whitmore with them.“  
   
“And Damon wants him to stay in Mystic Falls?” Sean guessed. “I don’t know. He doesn’t talk about it. Not even with me. You know that he and Stefan have a pretty difficult relationship.“ Ric reminded. Although the Salvatore brothers had gotten closer again over the past year. Both were finally ready to forget the past and move on. The fact that they weren’t chasing the same girl anymore probably helped. “In the end it’s Stefan’s decision. And even if he does go to college, Whitmore really isn’t far away.” he finally ended the discussion. After all, that wasn’t really what was bothering Damon. But Sean didn’t need to know that.  
   
***  
   
In the meantime Damon had found his brother, who was already wearing his graduation robe and turning the cap thoughtfully in his hands. “I’m afraid, you’ll have to put it on sooner or later. Even if it ruins your perfect hero hairstyle.” the older one joked. Stefan turned to look at him. “Nothing can ruin my hairstyle.” he joked back with a grin, before adding: “Thank you for coming today. It means a lot to me.” Damon shrugged it off. “I didn’t want to listen to your complaints for the next hundred years, because I missed the big day. And I also couldn’t let Ric come alone.” he claimed.  
   
Stefan’s smile showed clearly that he didn’t believe him for a second, but he didn’t say anything. “Where is Ric?” he asked instead. “Talking to Sean somewhere over there. So I thought I’ll see how you’re doing. Excited?” Damon asked in jest. “A little, yeah, truth be told.” the younger Salvatore had to admit. “I know it’s stupid, but… It’s a big deal somehow. I wasn’t sure I’ll make it through high school here. And now I can celebrate graduation with my friends. With Elena and Caroline and the others. And with you.” he tried to explain. “I hope you’re not planning on taking pictures for the family album later.” the dark-haired vampire warned. “Caroline said something about taking pictures.” Stefan said sheepishly. “Come on, Damon. Just a few. Please. I promise it won’t take long.“ he begged when he saw the dark look his brother was giving him. “Fine, but you owe me big.” Damon conceded with a scowl.  
   
Luckily their talk was interrupted by Elena, who had been looking for Stefan. They had finally broken up a while ago, but managed to remain good friends. They had probably both known all along that it wouldn’t last. Stefan was a vampire. Elena didn’t want to become one. This was an obstacle that even love couldn’t overcome, no matter how great. “The ceremony will start soon. Director Weber wants us to take our seats. And Caroline is driving me nuts. She’s practicing her speech again.“ the brunette grumbled. Caroline would do the speech for her class. An honor that she was very proud of, but which also made her nervous and caused her neurotic perfectionist self to go into overdrive. “Okay, we’d better go. I’ll see you later, Damon.” the younger Salvatore agreed.  
   
The older one went to rejoin Alaric, but met Liz on the way there. The sheriff looked like she wanted to shoot someone. “Liz? Everything okay?“ he asked cautiously. “Yeah, it’s just… my dick of an ex-husband.” the blonde huffed. “You know, we haven’t heard from him in ages. He acted like Caroline didn’t even exist anymore those last couple of month. And today of all days he shows up, acting like nothing ever happened. Like it wasn’t already bad enough that all of his stupid relatives are here. His mother still blames me for Bill becoming gay and his sister always hated me.”  
   
“Want me to take care of him?” Damon offered. “Tempting, but no thanks. I threatened to shoot him in the leg should he do or say anything to ruin Caroline’s big day.“ she admitted a little sheepishly, causing the vampire to grin. “I’m impressed, Liz.” the blonde smiled. “Guess I spent too much time with you.” she claimed. “You mean my awesomeness is rubbing off on you? Good to know.” Damon joked. “I would use a different word, but whatever. I should look how Caroline is doing. She was very nervous earlier. And I have no idea where Sean disappeared to.”  
   
“Sean ran from your ex. He was afraid he’d have to punch Bill if he kept spouting insults. He’s probably still with Ric. Want me to send him to you?” Damon asked. “No, that won’t be necessary. I’m just going to look in on Caroline and meet him in the stands later. But maybe you could save me a seat, so I can avoid Bill and his family.” the blonde decided. “We’ll do that.” the vampire promised, before going in search of Ric and Sean.  
   
He found them still standing at the same spot, watching the people around them with amusement. A few of Ric’s fellow teachers were just trying rather unsuccessfully to herd the people towards the stands. “We should claim our seats.” Alaric suggested. “Good idea. Liz asked me to save her a seat. She’ll join us once she’s managed to calm Barbie down.” Damon let the other two know.  
   
The three men made their way to the stands and took a seat in one of the front rows, from where they had a good view. Slowly the rows filled and the noise all around got louder. Damon watched the bustle with mild interest, wondering yet again why people made such a fuss. He decided right then that if Stefan decided to go to College after all, he wouldn’t come to the graduation. No matter how much his baby brother pouted. He wouldn’t do this to himself a second time.  
   
It seemed to take hours until finally everyone was seated and the official part began. Liz had taken a seat next to Sean and was watching the stage with rapt attention, where director Weber was trying his best to bore the audience to death with a speech. Damon ignored his blabbering and glanced at Alaric, who gave him a smile, before returning his attention to the stage. Director Weber stepped back and Carol Lockwood took his place. What felt like five hours later she too stepped back and it was Caroline’s turn. Once again Damon didn’t really listen. He smirked when he saw Liz pulling out a tissue and dabbing her eyes. Some of the students were crying too, while others chuckled every now and then. Vampire Barbie seemed to be doing a good job.  
   
Once her speech was finished, Carol Lockwood stepped forward again and started calling the names of the graduates. One after another they went up on the stage to get their certificate. After a not so gentle nudge from Alaric even Damon applauded with the rest of the audience. When it was Stefan’s turn he held his certificate up and grinned at his older brother. Damon nodded, grinning back and mouthing: “Well done, baby brother.” And then it was finally over and the graduates cheered, throwing their caps in the air amidst another round of applause. “I need a drink.” Damon grumbled.  
   
***  
   
While people were leaving the stands, Damon followed the others reluctantly towards the kids, who were standing together close to the stage. Alaric and Sean congratulated everyone and Liz hugged her daughter. “I’m so proud of you.” she assured with a sniffle. Damon rolled his eyes and mumbled: “Congrats, baby bro.“ Elena was grinning from ear to ear and hugging everyone she could reach. The older Salvatore patted her back awkwardly, all the while glaring at Enzo, who was laughing about him. The younger vampire had watched the ceremony with Bonnie’s dad, who still had no idea that Enzo was a vampire and believed that the guy would be the perfect son-in-law. Damon was convinced that his buddy had compelled Bonnie’s dad to think that, despite Enzo’s protests.  
   
To his dismay vampire Barbie really produced a camera from her handbag and started taking tons of pictures. She made Damon pose with Stefan, both Gilberts and herself and he even smiled for the pictures, even if only to make Alaric happy. The teacher himself was grinning like a proud father, while posing with Elena and Jeremy. Bill Forbes however, who had joined them when no-one had been paying attention, looked about ready to explode, when Caroline asked Elena to take a picture of her with Liz and Sean. But a warning look from Liz was all it took for Bill to keep his mouth shut. Or maybe he had come to the conclusion that he was surrounded by vampires and other supernatural beings and therefore heavily outnumbered.  
   
The crowd dissipated only slowly. People left the stadium in families and little groups, to continue the party elsewhere. The supernatural gang headed for the parking lot as well. Carol Lockwood had allowed Tyler to throw a party for his closest friends. Damon, Alaric, Liz, Sean, Enzo and Bonnie’s father Rudy were invited as well. But when Bill Forbes made to follow them, Caroline defiantly blocked his path. “I’m sorry, daddy. But I don’t want you there.” she whispered brokenly. “You hurt me and you can’t accept what I am. I’m happy that you came today, but I’m not ready to forgive you, yet.“  
   
She turned away and followed Tyler to his car. “But Caroline…” Bill protested, trying to follow her only to be stopped by Liz. “You heard her, Bill. And my promise still stands. Leave now or it’s a bullet for you.“ she threatened. “She’s my daughter, too.” Bill reminded angrily. “You didn’t seem to remember that when you tortured her! And by doing that you lost every right to being a father!” Liz hissed. “You should respect Caroline’s wish and leave now.” Sean suggested. Bill gave him a hate-filled look, before his eyes drifted to Damon and Alaric, who had stopped as well to back Liz up.  
   
“If you really love your daughter and want to mend things you need to give her time. Try to get to know her again. And first of all you need to accept her like she is.” Sean advised. “I don’t need advice from the likes of you!“ Bill spat, glaring at him. “The likes of me?” Sean repeated in a dangerously low voice, getting fed up with Bill. “Someone who shacks up to vampires. It’s shocking what’s become of this town!“ This time Bill’s disgusted look was clearly aimed at Damon, who only rolled his eyes in response. “Yeah, whatever. Spare us the preaching and get the hell out of here. Before I finish what I started when we last met.” Of course he knew that neither Alaric nor Liz would allow him to kill the guy, no matter how much they hated him. But Bill didn’t know that.  
   
After another dark look and a few muttered curses he finally trudged away. “Damon, you know…” Liz started, only to be interrupted by the vampire: “Yeah, I know. I’m not allowed to kill anyone, not even your dick of an ex-husband. No matter how much he deserves it. I know the rules, Liz.” The blonde shook her head with a smile. “Just making sure.“  
   
***  
   
The party at the Lockwoods wasn’t too bad. Damon and Alaric had a few drinks with the other “adults”, while the kids were dancing and playing stupid games two rooms down. Everyone was in a good mood, talking animatedly and laughing a lot. Mystic Falls had been strangely peaceful the last couple of month, the usual little skirmishes with vampires and the odd werewolf or hybrid put aside. Everyone was glad for the break, especially after all the chaos with the originals and stuff.  
   
After some time of course the talk turned to Jeremy and the fact that he’d graduated a year earlier. Carol Lockwood pointed out how remarkable that was, considering how the boy had been struggling not so long ago. Liz gave Damon a pointed look, which he ignored just as pointedly. He should’ve known she wouldn’t let the matter rest. He was probably in for another questioning soon. More surprising was the fact that Ric once again didn’t comment.  
   
While the conversation turned towards Whitmore College and the question if the kids really would be safe there (almost everyone knew about the Augustine debacle from about six month ago), Damon’s thoughts started drifting. He had been watching Alaric the whole day and found his fears confirmed. Ric didn’t remember their talk and his promise to turn once Jeremy had graduated. So what was he supposed to do now? Should he just talk to Ric about it? Drop a few hints, hoping that the teacher would get it? He couldn’t just ignore it and hope that Ric suddenly came to him, asking to be turned.  
   
“Damon?” He looked up and noticed that Liz was looking at him worriedly. “Are you okay?” Everyone was staring at him. Damn, he hadn’t noticed that his mind had totally drifted. “Yeah, fine. Just thinking.” he mumbled. The blonde didn’t look convinced and Sean was frowning as well. “You’ve been distracted all day. Are you really okay?“ the fireman prodded. Of course he did. Sean just didn’t know when to keep his mouth shut. The stupid guy always said what came to mind. “Now that I think about it, you’ve been acting strange all week.” Enzo chimed in as well. And what was he even doing here? Shouldn’t he be off, playing games with witchy?  
   
“I’m fine. Am I not allowed to be distracted? Vampires are moody, in case you didn’t know.” Damon snapped at them, which only seemed to worry the others even more. “I guess it’s just been too quiet lately. He doesn’t know what to do with himself when he can’t hunt monsters and make crazy plans.” Alaric intervened with a smirk. Damon felt eternally grateful. At least he could always count on Ric finding excuses for him. “I’m also waiting for the next, big catastrophe. It’s been way too quiet.” he added.  
   
“Don’t jinx it. Only because we haven’t had a quiet month in the last few years doesn’t mean that it will always be like this. Not every supernatural evil can come to haunt Mystic Falls.” Liz stated. “I guess those last couple of years have made us a bit paranoid. Actually this break has me on edge as well.” Carol Lockwood admitted, starting a discussion about the possibility of a new, supernatural danger and successfully taking the attention off Damon.  
   
In the end it was a nice evening after all and it was very late when the party finally dwindled down. Stefan went straight to bed. He would head to the Gilbert lake house with Elena, Jeremy and Matt early next morning, where they wanted to spend a week on holiday. Damon and Alaric went to bed immediately as well. But while Alaric fell asleep almost instantly, Damon lay awake a long time, thinking.


	2. Chapter 2

Damon was awoken the next morning by the feeling of someone watching him. “You’re staring at me.” he grumbled, before opening his eyes. Alaric was lying next to him, watching him sleep with a strange smile on his face. “Usually you don’t complain when people are staring at you.” the teacher shot back. “But not when I’m sleeping. That’s creepy.“ Damon muttered. „And it’s not creepy when you’re watching me sleep?“ Ric wanted to know. Okay, he did that sometimes. Vampires didn’t need as much sleep, so he was usually the first to wake and he loved watching his boyfriend. Ric looked so peaceful when sleeping. “That’s different.”  
   
Instead of the annoyed answer Damon had been expecting, Alaric only chuckled. He was behaving strange somehow. Damon had the feeling he was missing something, but he couldn’t put his finger on it and then Ric distracted him with a kiss and he dropped the thought completely. The teacher’s hands wandered over his body restlessly, coaxing a moan from Damon. “You’re very awake already.” he commented. Ric only made an agreeing noise and moved his hand between Damon’s legs.  
   
The vampire gasped when Ric’s hand closed around his erection. For a second he vamped out. Despite the fact that Alaric was used to the sight and didn’t mind – it happened every now and then when he was really turned on – he took a deep breath and his features shifted back to normal. But again the teacher surprised him, by pulling him even closer and whispering: “It’s okay. Feed from me.”  
   
Damon looked at him in surprise. Okay, he fed from Ric quite regularly, but usually he asked for permission. Ric had never asked him to do it. “Come on, Damon. I know you want to.“ the blond whispered, speeding up his strokes. The vampire didn’t need to be told twice. As gently as possible he sank his fangs into Ric’s neck and swallowed. Ric’s hot, sweet blood rushed into his mouth and combined with the feeling of Ric’s strong body against his and the tight fist around his erection it was all too much. It took only a few more strokes until he came between their bodies.  
   
Breathing hard he pulled away, licking the last drops of blood from Ric’s neck, before biting his own lip and leaning down to kiss the teacher, who swallowed the tiny amount of vampire blood willingly. Damon stared at him, noting the disheveled hair, the slightly open lips and darkened eyes. Ric looked thoroughly debauched. With a grin the vampire bent over him, starting to kiss a path down Ric’s torso to return the favor.  
   
***  
   
After showering together they went downstairs and Damon made breakfast. The house was strangely silent. Enzo had spent the night with Bonnie and Stefan was probably already on his way to the Gilbert lake house. “We should ask Enzo to move in with Witchy for a few days. Would be nice to have the house to ourselves.” the vampire mused. Maybe he could talk to Ric again, if he didn’t have to fear being interrupted. “We do have the house to ourselves. Enzo and Bonnie are going to North Caroline. Didn’t he tell you?”  
   
“No, he didn’t. Did he tell you? What are they going to North Caroline for?” Damon asked in surprise, watching Alaric clear the table. It was no secret that Enzo and Alaric still weren’t exactly best friends. “They found out that Bonnie’s mother is living in Monroe. Bonnie decided to visit her and find out why she left the family when Bonnie was still a child. Obviously that question has been bothering her for years now and Enzo finally got her to search for her mom and find out the truth. She told me a few days ago.” the teacher explained. “Hmm… Well, Enzo once told me he was an orphan. He can probably relate.“ Damon murmured. “Yeah, I guess. Anyway, they wanted to leave today and stay for a few days.“  
   
“Good, that means an empty house and no disturbance for us.” the vampire commented, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. “Perfect timing. We’re gonna need that.” Alaric agreed. Something about the words seemed strange to Damon, but he before he could prod he heard Enzo’s car in the driveway. “Did you forget something, buddy?” he called out, when he heard the front door closing. But it wasn’t Enzo who entered the kitchen. “Not really, no.” Bonnie answered.  
   
The vampire looked at her in surprise. “Stefan has already left.” he informed her. “I know. Elena sent me a text. I’m here to see Alaric.“ Now Damon was completely puzzled. Why did the witch want to see his boyfriend? But she ignored him and turned to Ric. “Did you change your mind?” she wanted to know. “No, I didn’t. I made my decision.” Bonnie nodded, looking like she had expected that answer. She pulled a small box out of her jacket and handed it to Ric. “Thank you, Bonnie.” the teacher said with a smile. “It’s okay, just… try not to kill anyone.”  
   
“I’ll do my best.” Alaric promised solemnly. “Okay, then… I’ll see you in a couple of days, I guess.” Bonnie looked at Alaric strangely for a moment, before nodding to Damon and leaving again. Damon heard her getting into Enzo’s car and the two of them driving off. “Care to explain what that was about?” the vampire asked in an annoyed tone. Something was going on here and no-one had felt it necessary to tell him. “We had a deal, right?” Ric reminded, unsuccessfully trying to hide a smile. Damon was just too cute when he was pouting. “I haven’t forgotten, Damon. And I haven’t changed my mind either.“  
   
Slowly understanding dawned, but the vampire was afraid of getting his hopes up. He glanced at the box in Alaric’s hand. Ric smiled and opened it. “That’s a daylight ring.” the vampire noticed. “It’s my daylight ring.” Ric corrected. “I asked Bonnie to make it.” He took Damon’s hand, noticing how his eyes lit up. “I know I should’ve told you sooner. Probably right after you compelled half the school so Jeremy can graduate this year.“ When Damon tried to protest he cut him off: “We both know that it was you. Don’t try to deny it. And we both know why you did it. Even Liz noticed that you interfered. I guess she didn’t buy my excuse that you wanted to do something nice for a change.”  
   
“She talked to you as well?” Damon asked, a little surprised that Liz had gone as far as discussing her suspicion with Ric. “She did, after you didn’t give her a straight answer. And she was worried, because you’ve been distracted and moody for almost two weeks now.” Ric admitted, before adding: “I know that was my fault. I knew what was troubling you, but I didn’t say anything. I’m sorry.”  
   
“Why didn’t you tell me what you were planning?” the vampire wanted to know. Alaric hesitated. “I had a very serious talk with Bonnie, when I asked her for the ring. She promised to make one for me, but she wanted me to give it a little more thought. She wanted me to take enough time to decide and to back out if I wasn’t really sure. And she asked me not to talk to you about it.” he admitted. Damon grumbled something about “fucking witches sticking their noses into everything” and pouted again. “She only wanted to make sure that I decide for myself. That I don’t do this only for you.” Ric tried to explain. “I guess it’s hard to understand why I of all people would chose to become a vampire.”  
   
Damon smiled despite himself. That was the first time Ric had directly said it. “Why is it hard to understand?” he prodded nonetheless. “Just look at my past. When I first came here all I wanted was to kill vampires. You first of all. I could never understand Isobel’s fascination. I laughed at her. And for a long time I didn’t get why she chose this life.“ Okay, looking at it like that it probably was strange. He understood Bonnie’s concern, at least a little.   
   
“But now you’re really sure?” he asked timidly. Afraid Ric might reconsider after all. But the teacher’s smile was reassuring. “Yes, I’m sure. All that was before I really got to know you. Before I fell in love with you. I think I have a pretty good idea of what it means to be a vampire. And I know that it won’t always be easy. But I also know that together we can manage everything. The thought of spending maybe hundreds of years with you by my side is… incredible. To see the world change, history happen… I want that, Damon. For myself. For us.”  
   
His eyes were practically glowing and he sounded so sincere that Damon just had to kiss him. “And when do you want to turn?” Ric smiled and there was no sliver of doubt in his eyes. “Today. Right now, if you want to.” he decided. He took off the Gilbert ring and placed it on the table. Damon’s smile widened, his heart started beating faster. He wanted this so much and it looked like he would actually get what he wanted for once. “Do you want to go somewhere special, or…?” Suddenly he was nervous. He wanted this to be perfect. Wanted this moment to be special. Alaric took his hand and led him to the library.  
   
“Here we fought the first time, I died the first time and the ring brought me back the first time. We got drunk in this room, talked and shared secrets. We made love in front of the fireplace, we fought and made up. And here you will turn me. We’ll complete the circle in a way.” the teacher explained. Damon nodded, realizing just how much thought Ric had given this. “Now?” he made sure. “Now.” The vampire took a steadying breath, before biting his wrist and pressing it against Ric’s lips. Alaric drank deep, only stopping when the wound had closed. “And how…?”  
   
“Quick and painless, please.” Alaric asked. He had died and come back quite a few times over the last years. Death had somehow lost its horror. And it would only be temporary again. So he just wanted to get this part over with. Damon pulled him in for a kiss. Tried to convey all his emotions with that one kiss. Once their lips had parted, he gently caressed Ric’s neck. “I love you.” The teacher smiled and opened his mouth to respond, but he didn’t get a word out. Damon broke his neck quickly, caught him when he fell and laid him down on the couch. Then he sank into an armchair to wait.  
   
Only minutes later he realized that Ric would need blood once he woke up. Torn between fear of leaving Ric unguarded for even a second and the wish to have everything ready when he woke up he paced nervously. Finally he decided to get everything ready and blurred down to the basement to grab a blood-bag. Of course Alaric hadn’t moved in the few seconds he’d been gone. Logically the vampire knew that it would take some time. Unfortunately that did nothing to ease his anxiousness.   
   
He put the blood bag down on the table and went to close the curtains. Then he put Ric’s daylight ring on the table, before sitting down. He glanced at the blood bag and mused that his boyfriend would feel more comfortable drinking from a glass. At least the first time. He got up again, fetched a glass from the bar and filled it with blood, before putting the blood bag aside. He sat down again, only to get up minutes later, wander to the bar and grab a bottle of bourbon, which he put on the table. A few minutes later he returned the bottle to the bar.  
   
He couldn’t tell how much time went by like this. He just couldn’t sit still. The sight of Alaric, lying still and motionless was just too horrible. It was stupid, really. He knew that Ric would wake up soon and everything would be fine. Hell, everything would be great. But the feeling just wouldn’t go away. In the end he alternated between pacing nervously and sitting next to Ric, holding his hand.  
   
He had just sat down again, when Alaric suddenly opened his eyes and shot upright, gasping for air. Damon pulled him into his arms. “It’s okay. Just breathe.“ he instructed softly. Ric leaned heavily on him, taking deep breath. His thundering heart-beat took some time to slow down. “Wow, that’s… different.” he finally gasped. “You’ll get used to it.“ Damon promised, trying to calm his own racing heart.  
   
“I’m… hungry.” the teacher mumbled, sniffing the air with a frown. “What’s that smell?“ Damon took the glass of blood. “Food.” Alaric just stared at it, caught between fascination and horror. Hesitantly he took it, glancing at his boyfriend before bringing it to his lips. He drank a sip and made a disgusted face. “That’s terrible.” And now his gums were aching and it took him a moment to realize that his fangs were breaking through for the first time. Somehow he’d thought this would be less scary. “Only the first sip. You completed the transition. It’ll taste better now.” the older vampire claimed.  
   
Ric gave him a doubtful look, but brought the glass to his lips again, only to gulp the blood down hungrily. Because Damon was right. It was different this time. “Fuck, that’s… good.“ The dark-haired vampire chuckled. “Told you so. Do you want more?“ What a stupid question. “Yes, I want more.“ Damon fetched the blood bag, giving Ric a questioning look. The teacher looked from his glass to the bag. Hesitating a little he finally reached for the bag. He would have to get used to it anyway. It felt weird and he was glad when Damon showed him how to drink so he wouldn’t make a mess. Still a few drops escaped his lips and ran down his chin.  
   
As soon as he had finished the blood bag, Damon leaned in and licked the drops away. His fingers gently traced the dark capillaries beneath Alaric’s eyes. “And now take a deep breath and concentrate on calming down.” The teacher did as told and felt the veins and fangs recede. “Not bad. We’ll practice that over the next couple of days.” Damon promised, before picking up the daylight ring and sliding it onto Ric’s finger. Ric watched the action with a wry smile. “What?” Damon asked, but Ric shook his head. “Nothing. Just had a weird thought.“ But the older one kept prodding. “Somehow… it felt almost as if you were putting a wedding band on my finger.” The admission made Damon grin as well. “An engagement ring, if anything. If we ever do get married I want it to be a huge party.“ he decided, making Alaric chuckle. “I should have guessed.”  
   
“What’s that supposed to mean?“ the older vampire wanted to know. “That you’re a bit of a princess?” Ric laughed at the comical look of shock on Damon’s face. “Princess? Just wait, I’ll give you princess.” Damon threatened, before lunging at his boyfriend. They tumbled to the floor, wrestling with each other playfully. Ric could already feel how much stronger he was now. Despite the fact that Damon no longer held back, he could match him pretty well. “Okay, I take it back.” he gave in when Damon started tickling his sides. “You better.” the dark-haired vampire mumbled petulantly.  
   
Alaric pulled him into a kiss, which quickly turned heated. Only absently Ric noticed that as a vampire really everything was heightened. Every touch of Damon sent little thrills of pleasure through his body and his feelings had intensified as well. He hadn’t thought it possible to love Damon even more, but he did. Weirdly enough he felt more alive than ever before, now that he was technically dead. “Let’s go upstairs.” he suggested, but Damon shook his head. “We’ve got the house to ourselves, remember?” The teacher grinned. “You’re right.“ Pushing his boyfriend back on the couch he captured his lips again, while they both struggled to get each other naked. Ric’s last, rational thought was that he had made the right decision.  
 


End file.
